Confident in Christ is a wonderfule exposition of the Gospel, faith, assurance, and a consideration of some tough texts of the New Testament. The first chapter is truly a gem and should be required reading for every Bible and seminary student, and Christian. It slices through the confusion surrounding the Gospel today and clearly proclaims God's free gift of eternal life by belief in Christ. His section on assurance is equally great and the analysis not only helps in understanding what true faith is but should help every one become more confident in Christ. There are some wonderful challenges to Christian living toward the end of the book along with a helpful study guide for small group Bible studies or Sunday School classes. In summary Confident in Christ is a wonderful testimony to God's grace showing that man can bring nothing to God to gain eternal life other than belief in Christ. It honors the principle of Romans 11:6. I highly recommend the book.

For anyone looking for a book that is easy to read and clear regarding the Lordship Salvation debate, this book is for you. Dr. Wilkin writes in a style that is irenic and lay-friendly. People with little or no theological training will find this book very helpful. Wilkin (like his associate Zane Hodges) takes a strongly free grace approach to the Gospel. Though I do not agree with all of his exegesis of difficult passages, he makes a convincing case why Reformed/Lordship salvation is unbiblical and is more steeped in tradition rather than proper Biblical interpretation. He takes you through various passages in the Synoptic Gospels, John's Gospel and letters, Paul's letters, Hebrews, and catholic epistles. Unlike how most Reformed scholars dubiously interpret warning passages as intended for "professing" Christians, Wilkin convincingly argues that the NT writers warned TRUE believers of the dangers of disobedience and backsliding (loss of rewards and divine chastisement). Most Reformed people should know that not all warning passages deal with eternal destinies. A narrow interpretation of warning passages advocated by most Reformed/Lordship commentators result in eisegesis rathar than exegesis. In all this time of personal study of salvation, I found that most Reformed interpretations of difficult passages have been wanting. In order to conform to their understanding of the perseverance of the saints (a doctrine developed by the Synod of Dort and Westminster Confessions, not the Bible) Reformed scholars read into passages rather than exegete them. Wilkin gives the corrective to this type of faulty "exegeting" of passages. It is strange that so many professing "evangelicals" are giving support or passive allowance of various forms of "nomism" in the evangelical scene today, and at the same time chastising scholars like Hodges, Ryrie, Dillow, Kendall, Eaton, Lightner, Radmacher, and Wilkin for trying to be as faithful to the Bible and evangelicalism. This is sad indeed. What we need is a return to the Biblical Gospel of grace, and Wilkin does a superb job taking us back to the Gospel preached by Paul, the Apostles, and most of all Jesus Christ our Lord. Readers will not be disappointed by this book.

Dr. Wilken, founder of the Grace Evangelical Society effectively takes on the challenges of unclear gospels. Using the Word of God as the authority, Wilken shows the weaknesses in many of the arguments presented by some of today's leading theologians. Using many scripture references for each point, Dr. Wilken doesn't fall into the trap many contemporary authors do when they take a single verse and try to make it say what they want it to. There is no doubt that Wilken presents a clear gospel that is in accordance with Scripture. Confident in Christ is set up in an easy format making it both excellent reading, and a very important research tool as well. Any Christian who wants to be challenged with Scripture after Scripture truly must read this book.

I have read at least 30 books on forgiveness and have to say this one is in the top three. The process of forgiving is clearly outlined and you are gently encouraged to walk through it. Enright provides suggestions for journaling, including sending you back to reveiw your progress in the process.

The examples he uses are realistic and constructive, everything from children of divorced parents to parents of murdered children. Most of the examples show how the person felt during the different stages of forgiving.

Although Enright does mention God and even suggests journaling your belief, he doesn't emphasize that God can help us walk through the forgiveness process. That would be my only criticism.

If you really want to get over your anger, this book would help you go a long way toward your goal.

The reader from Los Angeles couldn't have put it better when he/she wrote, "'Forgiveness Is A Choice' is the only self-help book on forgiveness you'll ever need." You will not be able to put this book down! It is well written and based on scientific principles (The dust jacket of the book says that the author has been a leader in the scientific study of forgiveness and its effects since 1985). I found it to be thought provoking and easy to follow. The author skillfully leads the readers toward improved psychological, emotional, and physical health by providing them with a deeper understanding of forgiveness and teaching them how to achieve a state of genuine forgiveness. Reading this book, engaging in thoughtful reflection and participating in the journaling exercises has helped me to release anger, have a greater sense of inner peace, and experience a renewed hope. This book has much to offer and can be enjoyed by a wide variety of people!

I am a person in the "hard sciences," studying physics, chemistry, and related disciplines. I rarely take seriouisly the "self-help" crowd because their books are based on impressions and opinions only, not science. This book, however, is the grand exception. Forgivenss Is a Choice is based on years of research into how people forgive. The research, from what I can tell, is strong and the results also strong. I gave this book as a gift to a close friend who had a very serious break up with someone years ago. After reading the book, she decided to take the risk of forgiving and reconciling with the other person from whom she was estranged for years. The book provided the necessary help to achieve the goal. The two are now reconciled and my friend credits this book with the success. The reader is given systematic exercises in the forgiving process. You start with exploring the anger you have, then you turn to a decision to forgive, including a clear exposition of what forgiveness is and is not. Next, you are given cognitive/thinking tasks to aid your forgiving, followed by affective/feeling tasks. In the Discovery Phase of forgiving (the final phase of the forgiveness process), the reader learns a great deal about onself, the other person, and relationships. The author's encouragement of the reader's journaling as a means of reflection is very useful. Although the author makes the point that forgiveness benefits the forgiver, he is clear that forgiveness itself is not at all a self-focused process. Instead, as the author notes, forgiveness is a moral process in which you reach out with compassion and understanding to the one who hurt you. Within the past month, this book has received much national attention. I read an article in USA Today favorably reporting on this book. I also caught the radio program, Talk of the Nation, on National Public Radio in which this book was featured. I highly recommend this thoughtful and helpful book.

Initially I did not like this book because I felt it was a bit too wordy. But then the wordiness is very helpful for a self learner. The examples and exercises are good too.The pace is neither too fast nor too slow. And it offers interesting websites articles for further studies. The graphs, pictures and colors are the best among all math books.
The only thing, but I can live with it, I did not like it is that the book is very heavy. Well, it really worths the money.
I hope more math books can be written and published so nicely. Studying math should not be just formulars and symbols. Colors and pictures are not just for high school, they should be there for serious math students and mathematicians too.

After one confusing (first) semester of calculus using Thomas' Early Transcendentals, my school's math department switched to this text for second semester. Thank goodness! This text is much more clear, with examples that take you through the important steps of the problems. Sometimes the text will leave out a step in the example, but usually it's something from trig or pre-calc. The use of graphics in the examples are very helpful as well; the important theorems are boxed/highlighted, as are useful tips to solving the problems.

The exercise problems at the end of each section are never huge surprises. As for their difficulty, they tend to start out easy and end with the more challenging word problems. When I was confused or frustrated, it helped to go back and re-read the examples. The Thomas text's examples were extremely difficult (for us non-MIT level math students) and unrelated/inconsistent with the exercises.

The editing of Larson's text is fantastic, because there are relatively few errors (whereas Thomas' was full of them). And I especially liked the photographs and brief biographies of the famous mathematicians sprinkled throughout each chapter, because they humanize this mysterious and feared subject.

I'd say that this book made calculus less scary and much more manageable. I still had to study really hard to ace the class, but at least it wasn't because the book was overly confusing.

This is an excellent book with lots of examples. First a concept is introduced, then an example given, and then the student can work problems relating to the section to reinforce the concepts presented.

Easy to read, and nice progression of topics.

I have read this book three times. I know what an extraordinary story this is and have tried to turn others on to it.
Bob Mason's transformation from eager pilot trainee to jaded combat veteran/burnout, while probably not anymore remarkable a story than any other pilot's is well written and that is what makes it great! After reading the book I felt as though I know Bob Mason. Not a bad thing.
When Mason describes the deck inside the chopper,covered in blood you can almost smell it.
Serious life and death stuff with some of the funniest stories of human screw ups wrapped up in a truly memorable account of one
helluva chopper pilots' experience in Vietnam.
It's like I say:" 'Chickenhawk' is the best damn war movie they never made!"

I first bought and read Mason's book Chickenhawk in the mid-eighties. I recently got the urge to reread a number of 'Nam books, so I bought a new copy. Keeping in mind that the war in Vietnam was ever-changing, and that each time period made for a different environment, Mason gives a good account of the early period of the war. This is one of maybe the three or four best books written on the vietnam experience or, for that matter, combat flying. I recommend it highly.

While not as action-packed as Mason's first book, Chickenhawk, this sequel is still a fine read. The Kirkus Review calls the book "flat-footed." Before I read this book, I probably would not have been surprised to hear that the sequel to what is probably my favorite book of all time does not live up to the first installment. Chickenhawk is mostly a war story, rich in detail and technical information about the helicopters Mason flew. I am fascinated with helicopters and that is probably why I like Chickenhawk so much. I approached Back In The World with skepticism. I doubted that it had any chance to be as interesting as Mason's first book. But as a fan of Chickenhawk, I was happy to discover that Back To The World does not really try to stand by itself. In many ways, it is just the story of how Chickenhawk was written. It is the story behind the story.

The Kirkus Review makes it sound as though this book is dull, and belittles the significance of Mason's incarceration and his description of the way Chickenhawk was recieved by the public. Personally, I thought Mason's imprisonment was conveyed in a style reminiscent of Henri Charrier's Papillon, another of my favorites.

The point is, it is impossible to fully understand or appreciate Chickenhawk as a description of the Vietnam Experience without reading this book. If you liked Chickenhawk, this is a must-read.

If you're into words, slang, and idioms like I am, then you probably already own a reference book like this and realize that you need at least 2-3 similar books to find the real nuances of meaning that you want.

This book definitely qualifies to be one of them. The definitions are thoughtful and precise, and there are significantly fewer 'disappointments' (at lousy or omitted definitions/terms) than with other books of it's kind.

The book seems not as "eduactional" as other heritage or historical dictionaries proclaimed to be but it is really of great help to a non-native American speaker, like me, who from Taiwan to get indepth of American ways of life. Whenever I run across an expression in American movies or TV sit-coms, not very often I fail to get the satisfactory explanation with the detailed notes and usages. Therefore I picked up expressions such as: refrigerator mother, fag, net-sex, digital sex and so forth, that frequently used in American movie lines or even in real life but taken to be the "taboo words" in English-Chinese dictionary. Slangs have no any color of offensivenss but depends on how people use them. It is a pity for the international lanuages learners if they think the slang is not good enough to pick up. Once you have a command of slang, you will be really into lives of slang users

In the library, I did a side-by-side comparison of this book (Chapman: Dictionary of American Slang, 3rd ed., 1995) with: (a) Spears, Richard: NTC's Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions, 3rd ed., 2000 and (b) Green, Jonathon: Cassell Dictionary of Slang, 1998. The advantages of this dictionary over the other two are: (1) some words and phrases are in this book but not the other two (e.g., "love bug," "love me, love my dog"); (2) it gives specific quotations and sources (e.g., "Had Feldstein deliberately low-balled the original numbers? - Newsweek"); (3) it indicates what sort of people originated or might use the word/phrase (e.g. "lot louse... [used in the] circus"); and (4) thorough cross-references are integrated into the body of the dictionary (e.g., "love, see CALF LOVE, FOR THE LOVE OF PETE, PUPPY LOVE"). It has 617 pages and claims to have 19,000 entries, which is between the other two books. On the other hand, the Cassell Dictionary contains a large percentage of the entries in this book as well as many more entries, and it's the oldest of the three dictionaries. Still, if you had to buy only one of the three, this is probably the one to get.

Robert Hass is the translator in the sense that the poetic, if not the literal, translations are his. His work on Haiku dates back to "Feild Guide" (at least). If there is a failing in this marvelous book it is that literal translations are not provided.

are even more wonderful/than cormorants" (Issa)

Not being a speaker/reader of japanese, I can't vouch for the fidelity or accuracy of the translations, but I will say this: they are wonderfully true to the essence of haiku, and if you are possessed of a temperament which gets off on this sort of thing, this book will find a happy place in your life (my own copy resides in the bathroom). The biographical pieces and the excerpts from the respective poets' prose works which bookend the 3 haiku selections will provide an affable sense of place and context for the reader unfamiliar with Asian literature, and Hass' simultaneoous understanding of/enthusiasm for his subject matter, and his empathy with the mores and wherefores of the contemporary Occidental reader, are on par with Paul Reps' "Zen Flesh, Zen Bones" (not to mention John Cage's "Indeterminacy"!)

If you can forget their age for long enough to read through them a few times, these poems might remind you that everything starts in the banality of things around us, which is really never very banal at all. What keeps us from really looking around ourselves IS ourselves. Everything else is just mosquitoes, grass, wind, tables, the moon, etc. And that is the very simple secret of mind and matter. But hey, come to your own conclusions -- I'm no Zen master, and the only even remotely Zen aspect of this review is that it is now over.

This book is a collection of haiku by three great Japanese masters- Basho, Buson and Issa who all lived between the seventeenth and the nineteenth centuries.

The book is divided into four sections, one on each master, followed by a section containing Basho's thoughts on haiku in general. Each of the first three sections starts with a brief but good introduction to the master followed by the translations of his haiku. Each section concludes with other pieces of writing (prose and haiku) by the poet. This helps to give a picture of the person behind the poem and some idea of the life and times that the poet lived in. Not being familiar with life in Japan from a few centuries ago, I found this very helpful in getting a better understanding of the context in which the poems are set.

There are notes at the back which explain some of the nuances and anything significant one has to know about certain Haiku. It helps to keep this in mind when reading the haiku. The fourth section in the book "Basho on Poetry" is a joy to read, and captures the spirit of Haiku. Each sentence here is worth preserving! There is also a list of books for further reading which I found useful.

Overall, this book is a good addition to the library, whether one is interested in writing Haiku or not.

First, what Robert Rush's book is NOT: It is not one of those popular history books which strings together first-hand accounts into a fast-reading "you are there" look at a historical event. And it is not a narrative of the World War Two battle for the Hurtgen Forest as a whole, asking whether the objectives justified the costs. Instead, Doctor Rush focuses in upon a single US Army infantry regiment -- the 22nd regulars -- and follows them through two-and-a-half weeks of combat hell as day after day they thrust themselves in a German meat-grinder. Their persistence and eventual triumph -- albeit at the cost of virtually destroying the 22nd Infantry -- makes for grim reading. Each day's activities are presented in remorseless succession. Few names of individual soldiers carry through the narrative for the very simple fact that most of the soldiers who started the battle in mid-November, 1944, were with the regiment when it was relieved in early December. All the others had been killed, wounded, or evacuated. A continual flood of reinforcements kept the 22nd functioning effectively as a combat unit until very nearly the end of fighting, but the faces and the character of the regiment had inalterably changed in that brief period of intense battle. Over ninety percent of the men and officers in the 22nd's nine rifle companies at the start became casualties. It is here where Rush's real focus lies: examining the process of replacing combat soldiers during battle so that the unit, if not the individuals, can be kept functioning. Numerous charts and graphs delineate the grim mathematics of war, as day by day the numbers of "original" members of the 22nd decline and the quantity of replacements grow in proportion, even though the replacements too suffered horrendous losses. Rush's own experience as a professional combat infantryman illuminates his analysis of what went on in this tiny patch of German forest nearly six decades ago.

As an avid WWII reader and historian, Rob Rush's "Hell in Hurtgen Forest" ranks at the very top of all the WWII books I have read. Although overshadowed by the Battle of the Bulge, the fight in the Hurtgen Forest in November and early December 1944 was the bloodiest of all fought by the 4th Infantry Division and the 22nd Infantry Regiment. Rob captures in great detail the daily actions of the fight and the challenges of leadership and why the men continued to fight as they were hit with casualties that approached 150% in the rifle companies. I highly recommend this excellent book - you will leave it shaking your head and better understanding why we hold our WWII veterans in such high esteem.

"Hell in the Hurtgen Forest" is a superb book about the timeless nature of infantry close combat. I commend it to both professional soldiers and students of history.

What makes this book most unique is the observation that the US individual replacement system, coupled with the US Army policy of keeping its limited number of divisions in the line almost without any break, produced a very effective organization, especially when compared to the worn out German units. This new interpretation of WWII unit effectiveness is worthy of further examination. It certainly caught my attention.

This book beautifully shows the path to both spiritual and psychological health. The chapters are short and loaded with wisdom. It is a book to read and re-read many times. Along with Walden and How To Be An Adult, it is one of the few books I will keep and re-read many times in my life.

You know all of those self-help books, the ones you read so that you can gain a better understanding of yourself?And once you read them you feel WORSE than you did before? Well, this book isn't one of those. After reading Robert and Jane Alter's book, cover-to-cover, I discovered a calmness, a peaceful feeling that no other book has ever given to me. In reading, I discovered that I am not alone in the many situations that life has visited upon me, and that there is a window that, when ready, anyone can climb through and find him or herself in a more tranquill place. Thank you, Robert and Jane, for a loving, spiritual, affirming and educational look at reality.

The Transformative Power of Crisis is a must read! I almost never read "self help" books, but these authors offer life-changing insights in a real page-turner. I was completely absorbed! This is a book I will return to many times for advice, wisdom and humor. I recommend this book highly and think anyone can benefit from its teachings.

I first read this book nearly 10 years ago and it started me down a path of exploration that hasn't ended yet. Read it, and then look at its bibliography, and read a few of those books. I first picked it up because it was quoted in another book I love. I have no technical training in this area but I understood it and loved it. Very mind expanding!!!

This book finally leads medicine (and biology) from the early 1800's into the 21st century. That is, these areas have been stuck in a mechanistic, chemical-based view of how the body works since they elected to ignore Maxwell's work - work that has lead to all of the electrical gadgets and technology we all love so dearly.

For some reason those in who study life have elected to ignore Maxwell's work and concentrate on chemical reactions. As was pointed out back in the 1920's (and earlier even) this approach precludes life so it is no wonder that medicine has not advanced very far.

Becker lays the groundwork for understanding ancient traditions such as Qigong (the Taoists certainly understood the concept of the energetic body) in addition to exposing the widespread pollution we are now exposed to. One wonders when people will wake up and realize that the electromagnetic pollution is no doubt doing at least as much as the chemical pollution in causing changes to the planet's biosphere.

Excellent book in addition to the newer "Cross Currents".

"The Body Electric" is a ground-breaking dissertation on human health as it relates to small electrical fields. Being a scientist, I was suspicious of the book's initial hypothesis, but I was later convinced by the overwhelming clinical data provided in the book. Very well written, easy to read, and extremely valuable. I highly recommend this book.

This is the first book in the Henry Reed series.

Henry Reed is a young teen living overseas because his father is an American diplomat. His parents decide to send him to rural New Jersey to spend the summer with his aunt and uncle. Henry fears boredom, but within the space of the first few days, he adopts a stray beagle and meets Midge Glass, who becomes his friend and business partner during this and subsequent summers.

Henry and Midge attempt to start a research company using his uncle's old barn and stray animals acquired along the way, but in what is to become a recurrent theme across the series, roadblocks, most of them humorous, result in anything but a routine venture.

This book, and the subsequent books in the series, are well-written, vivid in their imagery, and brimming with facts hidden in the context of a well-told story. The subject matter is appropriate for pre-teens and teens and there is no objectionable material for parents to be concerned about.

This and subsequent books suffer from an unavoidable culture clash between the period the books were written (this first one was in 1959), and today's faced-paced, electronic environment. Pre-teens and teens will have no trouble with the themes and concepts in the story, but may need to look up some antiquated things (presumably not many teens in today's Princeton, New Jersey know what a sickle bar is).

Highly recommended, but with a caution on the cultural relevance to today's children.

Henry Reed, Inc. is the first book in a whole series, written by the American author Keith Robertson. The story begins when 14-year old Henry Reed,the son of an American diplomat stationed in Naples, Italy, arrives in New Jersey to visit his aunt and uncle. Henrys teacher has given him a summer project; to report on American "free enterprise". Henry combines his interest in biology with business, and together with the 12-year old neighbor girl Midge sets up a business selling worms,turtles etc. During the summer Henry and Midge expand their business and are constantly in search of new products. Their business ventures include drilling for oil, hunting for truffles (an expensive mushroom) and developing a weatherbaloon that they plan to sell to the armed forces! Most of the people in the small town are very positive and cooperative about their business. They do, however, encounter some trouble with the quarrelsome Apples, who complain bitterly about Agony, Henry's dog, interloping on their property, and "Henry Reed, Inc". violating zoning laws. This leads to suspicion by Henry and Midge that the Apples are involved in deep criminal activity, but in the end it turns out that the Apples are only interested in safeguarding their own business interests. Although Henry Reed, Inc.is written in diary form it's not introspective. In each chapter Henry relates the days happenings. Te book takes place during about two months in Grovers Corner, New Jersey. The autor only briefly describes characters, landscape, and setting, but instead focuses on the hilarious stories. "Henry Reed, Inc." is an excellent sink-down-in-bed-and-relax book. The text is easy to understand and once you start the book it's not easy to put down. Please e-mail me with further questions and information about the other books in the series. (I haven't been able to get hold of them yet.

Henry Reed, Inc. is the first part of a series of children's books that are sadly underrated and unknown. Henry and Midge are two main characters the reader can truly get to know and fall in love with. The mini-adventures they have in their little pocket of suburbia are just the right mix of realism and absurdity that is sure to delight. Henry and Midge are everyboy and everygirl: ordinary kids who somehow rise above the mundane into the ether of hilarity. Look out Ramona, look out Superfudge -- Henry and Midge are here!